Something Like Fate
by oblivious-massacre
Summary: [Couples Therapy 2] When students begin dropping like flies, Rose and her friends go on a mission to find out what - or who - may be the cause. To do it, they'll need the help of Dimitri Belikov, the only adult they can turn to and Rose's secret lover. For Rose and Dimitri, this could spell disaster. Little do they know that what they're searching for could rip them apart forever.
1. Chapter 1

** Hello again, everyone! Thanks for letting me take a little break :) I feel like it's time to begin the sequel to "Couples Therapy". It's taken me a little while to work out the plot, but I finally have it done and am ready to continue the story. I hope you enjoy!**

Dimitri and I lay in his bed, wrapped up in the covers. Our naked skin was pressed together. It felt so right just laying here with him, post-sex. In the back of my mind, I thought, _how could it get any better than this?_

He bent his head down, planting a kiss on my lips. "I love you so much, Roza. I'm so glad that we can finally be together, out in the open."

"Me, too," I murmured, inhaling deeply. Dimitri's natural scent was so mesmerizing. "I wish we could just lay here forever."

He chuckled for a moment before looking into my eyes. A sudden flame began in his, hunger taking over his expression. He wrapped his arms tighter around me, pulling me even closer. He rubbed his cheek along mine, bringing his lips to my ear. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready for round two."

A shiver went through me. I hadn't been thinking about it, but my body obviously had. My response was to dig my nails into his back, leaving red trails down it. We both moaned as we slid our bodies against each other. Dimitri suddenly picked me up and turned, placing me back down as he slid on top of me.

"Are you ready?" he whispered.

I looked up at him, confused. "What about a condom?"

He shook his head. "Don't worry about that now. We'll get to that part later."

His words caused the warmth between my legs to grow, sliding up to the bottom of my belly. No longer able to find my voice, I nodded.

With a look of passion that could rival Don Juan de Marco's, he came down, our bodies becoming one…

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

My eyes sprang open. I was in bed, but it was my own. My alarm clock was going crazy, demanding I get up. I groaned as I hit a button to make it be quiet. I could still feel the yearning I'd felt in my dream, a yearning that I knew couldn't be satisfied. Groggily, I brought my legs over the side of my bed and stretched.

I felt sticky all over from sweating. Apparently, the heat hadn't stayed inside my body. My throat was dry and on fire, my head feeling as if it would blow up at any moment from the pressure. As I tried to stand, I found my legs were unable to hold me up, feeling like jelly. I put my head in my hands, wishing that it hadn't been a dream.

There was a knock at my door. "Rose, are you awake? It's time to get ready for school."

"Yes, mom," I replied, my nose sounding stuffed up. I gasped at the realization that I was crying. I hadn't even realized the tears running down my cheeks. How had things come to this? It was like Dimitri and I were right back where we started… No, that wasn't right. We were even more restricted than when we started, our relationship practically nonexistent. Sometimes I wondered if he even cared about me at all anymore.

I got up and went to my bathroom, taking care of my basic needs. I looked in the mirror as I washed my hands, noticing that my hair was sticking up in all directions. I had two options that would tame that bed-head: put it up in a sloppy ponytail, or take a shower. I opted for the latter.

I was in and out in ten minutes. I still pulled my hair into a ponytail, just in case, once I'd pulled my jeans and white t-shirt on. I was ready for school.

I had a quick breakfast – waffles – before meeting my best friend Lissa outside on the sidewalk. My parents were a lot more lax with me now that Rebecka and her minions were behind bars outside of the state, but they still wanted me to take precautions in case one of them hadn't been caught.

"Rose, you look like hell. Are you alright?" Lissa asked as I approached.

I rolled my eyes. "Way to make me feel better. I had a nightmare last night. I'll be fine." Well, _nightmare _isn't what I'd call the dream, but waking up had been a nightmare.

"Sorry," she mumbled. She took the hint that I didn't want to talk about it and changed the subject. "I talked to Mr. Walters and he said you could work the lights for the talent show without being in it as punishment. I hope that helps a little."

I nodded. "Yeah, it does."

It was Friday morning. Yesterday, I'd gotten in trouble for taking Ms. Amos's cell phone and flushing it down a toilet in the girls' bathroom. How they'd decided it was me without any proof, I'll never know. Anyway, it was worth it. I got back at that crazy bitch and all I had to do was help the team organizing the talent show.

Lissa and I didn't chat much as we walked to school. Well, Lissa talked and I listened. I wasn't really up to much conversation. I guess she got the hint. "How are you and…you-know-who doing?" she asked.

"Horribly," I sighed, shaking my head. "I just don't know how much longer we can keep this up. It's only been a month, but this is killing me! The worst part is that I don't even know how he's taking it. We barely get to see each other, so when we do, all we talk about is how much we miss each other. I love him and I'm not giving up on us…but I'm starting to wonder where we have to draw the line."

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I wish there was more I could do to help, but you know your dad would fry the both of us if he found out. Speaking of, is he at all suspicious that there's something going on?"

I shook my head. We were almost at the school doors now. "If he is, he isn't showing it, which is the scariest part. I would have no idea if he was suspicious or not. He's sneaky like that."

She nodded, knowing exactly what I meant. Lissa had been sleeping over at my house since we were in kindergarten. Of course she knew my dad. "Let's talk about this later, though. There are ears everywhere."

I laughed. "You sound so…paranoid."

Lissa looked me straight in the eyes as we walked into the school. Her face was grim. "I _am _paranoid, Rose. I don't see how you can be so laidback after everything that's happened to you…"

"You're right," I admitted, coming up on a corner to the main hallway. "It's just… Like I've said before, I don't want to live my life in fear. I _can't_. And, believe me, that's saying something. It would be totally easy to tell the school that I can't go outside because – oomph!"

I'd turned the corner, not really watching where I was going and ran straight into someone. I dropped my book bag, its contents spilling to the floor. As I dropped down to pick them up, I said, "Oh, I am so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you alr – "

I stopped, looking up and up and up into the dark brown eyes of the man I loved. Dimitri. He gave me quick smile – one that reached his eyes – before bending down to help me gather my things. "It's quite alright, Miss Hathaway. But _do _try to pay attention to where you're headed next time."

"Belikov." I snorted. "Watching out for you is the least of my worries. Actually, isn't it your _job _to look out for _me_?"

His eyes lit up, but he maintained his composure. "I believe it's my job to watch out for you academically and psychologically. Where you're physically moving is of no concern to me." He glared at me, but I knew it was all just for show.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. I know you love basking in my presence and all, but I have somewhere to be."

I strung my book bag across my shoulder and left without another word.

**[A/N: Okay, so instead of writing BREAK here, from now on I will be writing the first three words of the sentence after a time break in all caps. Look below for an example]**

IT WASN'T UNTIL lunch that anything really interesting happened that day. Dimitri and I could no longer have our appointments – my dad requested that our sessions end – so I had nothing but lessons to focus on. Lunch had been going on like normal: students all in their regular groups, talking amongst themselves and eating. Although our town wasn't big, the high school had a good amount of students in it, so the sound in the room was nearly deafening. The only reason why we could hear each other was because we were used to blocking it out.

But when a new kid was walked into the cafeteria by one of the staff members, all the talking ceased. It was a guy, about average height, with brown hair and light eyes. He was wearing standard clothing – a t-shirt and jeans – but he was also wearing a letterman jacket from another school. Even from across the room, I could tell he was handsome.

I took my attention off of him while everyone was still awed by his presence, looking around the room. By the looks on everyone's faces, the game had already begun.

For as long as I could remember, every time a new kid arrived at our school, the cliques would all compete to get them to join their group. The order that it went in usually depended on what the new person looked like or how they acted. If you were confident and dressed well, the preps tried to pull you in. If you were shy or, well, unattractive, you usually had to approach a group to become one of them.

All of the talking started up again at the same time.

"Wonder who he is," Mia mumbled before eating a piece of cantaloupe.

A sudden urge welled up inside me. You'd think that after everything I'd gone through, I would just want some peace and quiet, but I wanted just the opposite. I was starved for some action, especially after getting used to all the training Dimitri had had me doing. It was hardly likely that I would get _that _type of action any time soon, but I could make things a little spicier in other ways.

I stood up, leaning down to my friends. "You wanna find out?"

"Oh no," Lissa groaned. "What are you planning on doing, Rose?"

I wriggled my eyebrows – badly – and gave them a mischievous smile before walking off. I heard conversations dropping off as people noticed me making my way toward the new guy. Camille stood up when she saw me, but she didn't go anywhere. She looked like she couldn't make up her mind on whether or not to try and get to him before I did.

I was looking straight at the new kid as I closed in on him, taking in his features. Yes, he was definitely someone Camille would want to get her claws in. It looked like I would be able to kill two birds with one stone. Camille had made arrangements to stay with her aunt in town until she graduated while her parents moved. As soon as she'd found out she was staying in town for good, she turned right back into the bitch she always was. I was going to meet the new guy first _and _piss her off.

"Hello," I said, smiling when I made it to him. "I'm Rose Hathaway. I thought I'd come introduce myself to you."

He smiled back, putting out his hand for me to shake it. "I'm Nick Mansle. It's…" He looked me up and down. "…a pleasure to meet you."

Ah, maybe I could kill three birds with one stone. If I were to seem interested in this guy in front of all these people, it might get back to my dad. I shook his hand and turned on my charm. "Oh, you have _no _idea. You wanna come sit with me and my friends?"

"Sure." He shrugged before following me to the table.

I made a motion to Lissa, telling her to move over. She looked confused for only a moment before shooing Christian over and taking his seat. I sat down and patted the seat next to me. As Nick sat down, I began introducing everyone.

"Everyone," I began after I'd introduced my group of friends, "this is Nick Mansle."

From there, everyone began bombarding him with questions. Where did he come from? Why had he moved here? Was he staying indefinitely? Question after question. He never seemed frustrated, though, and answered every single one of them with a smile.

"What do you think of the town? Or have you had any time to actually look around?" I asked, touching his forearm.

He looked down at my arm and then up at me, smiling. "I haven't had a chance to go anywhere other than here. I just got to my new house this morning. I was supposed to get here yesterday, but my parents let me spend all day yesterday with my friends and travel here through the night. Luckily, the school hadn't gotten my schedule together by this morning, so I got to get a little sleep before starting today."

"Do you have anyone to show you around town?" Eddie asked, genuinely interested.

Nick shrugged. "Not really, but I'm pretty good at finding things myself."

Eddie and Mia looked at each other the same time Lissa and Christian looked to each other. "I'm guessing you guys have plans after school?" I asked.

"Well, we have to stay after school to finish a project that's due tomorrow," Mia explained.

Christian nodded. "Yeah, Liss and I have to interview a few people in town for a survey we have to do after school. Sorry."

Mia turned to me. "What about you, Rose? You don't have anything going on after school, do you?"

Lissa and I exchanged glances for a quick second. I certainly did have something planned for after school today. I didn't think anyone had seen anything, but Nick was looking at me with a strange expression. "I actually do have something planned after school. Doctor's appointment. It's mandatory."

I was lying. I did have mandatory doctor's appointments after everything I'd been through – my doctors wanted to make sure everything was still alright – but those were over with. I'd had my last appointment the week before. Thankfully, the bell rang, keeping my friends from thinking about it too much.

Nick, however, didn't believe me. It was obvious by the look on my face. He didn't say anything, though. Instead, he said, "It's not a big deal. Like I said, I can get around on my own. Thanks for the offers, though. I'll see you guys later."

I realized that I hadn't even thought about looking at his schedule to see if we had any classes together. I guessed I'd just have to wait and see if I saw him in any of my classes. I walked to my next class, not giving Nick another thought.

IT TURNED OUT that I didn't have any afternoon classes with Nick, but that wasn't what I was thinking about as I put my things in my locker. I was nearly shaking from the adrenaline that was running through my system. I had a mission ahead of me – that was how I had to think about it – and I couldn't afford to mess up.

When I made it to the entrance to the school, I could barely focus on what any of my friends were saying. Mia and Eddie left, signaling for me to start the mission. I took a slow, deep breath to calm myself, trying to keep Christian from seeing.

"Liss, you want to come with me to the bathroom really quick?" I asked.

She shrugged as if she didn't care, as if we were doing something perfectly normal. On the outside, it definitely looked that way. Girls went to the bathroom in groups all the time. But this wasn't as black-and-white as it seemed.

Lissa turned to Christian and said, "We won't be long. Be right back."

We talked about homework and school as we walked to the bathroom. We'd gone over this conversation so many times that it was almost as if reading a script. One of the reasons we'd even thought this out was because we had to go right by Ms. Amos's classroom and there was no guarantee she wouldn't be listening to us.

When we got in the bathroom, I closed the door behind us, staying there. Lissa went forward to check underneath all the stalls and make sure no one else was here. When she didn't see any feet, she examined every stall again on the way back, opening each door. She nodded to me when she was absolutely sure we were alone.

"Alright," I mumbled, locking the door. "Did you get it?"

She reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out two slips of paper. "Got it. It really wasn't hard, but you still owe me."

"I know," I whispered, opening the first paper to read it. It was a small post-it with an address on it. I didn't recognize the street name, but I'd find it. Opening up the second paper, I found what I'd been after for two weeks now. It was a note from my English teacher, saying that she wanted to take a select few students on a couple of trips to Carroll college's library for research on a paper. I looked back up to Lissa. "Thank you so much!"

I leaped forward and wrapped my arms around her. I felt her laugh as she embraced me as well. "Like I said, it wasn't all that hard, but you're welcome. Now, we gotta go. I really do have a survey to do. Oh, and because I can't say this when we get out there, have fun tonight. I hope everything works out."

I sighed, butterflies erupting in my stomach. "I hope so, too."

After saying my goodbyes to Lissa and Christian, I headed off to my house. For the past month, my dad had been staying at home. He was friends with his boss and wound up explaining what had happened to me to him, effectively getting time off with pay. Today was the first day he was going back to work. Because he'd been paid less than usual last month, he had to work overtime this month to make up for the loss. He would be gone for two weeks at the least.

This was one of the things Lissa and I couldn't have possibly planned out: whether or not my mom would be home. We'd thought about giving my mom the paper today to sign and then starting the plan the next day because that was more realistic, but I just couldn't wait any longer.

The lights were on in the house, signaling that she was indeed home. I went inside and called out to her. After a couple of seconds, I heard her footsteps as she walked down the stairs in the dining room. I made it to the room just as she was stepping off the last step. "How was your day, sweetheart?" she asked.

I shrugged, trying to look indifferent. "It was normal. Oh, except we got a new kid. Nick Mansle."

"Really?" my mother asked, surprised. "What is he like?"

"There's not really much I can tell you. He moved here from Wisconsin. His parents apparently wanted a change of scenery, so they bought the library and plan on opening it back up," I explained.

My mom smiled. "That's a fantastic idea! Oh, how I have missed the library…"

Mom had worked in the public library when she went to school as a part-time job. She'd wanted me to do the same all the way through high school, but it shut down when I was in eighth grade. I'd actually liked the idea of being a librarian. My mom had introduced me to reading books and I loved the smell of newly printed paper. Stocking books and helping people find the right genre they'd like to read would have been interesting.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. And speaking of libraries, my English teacher gave me this permission slip to sign. I know, it's sudden. I'm sorry about that. It's not mandatory; I can choose whether or not I want to go. That's part of the reason it took me so long to get this to you. I want to go. Can you sign this please?"

I'd handed the permission slip over to my mom and she looked it over. She shrugged and, without a word, she stuck out her hand for a pen.

When she was done, she handed it back to me while yawning. Looking at the paper made my heart flutter in my chest. It had worked! Telling me to let her know when I was leaving, my mom announced that she would be taking a nap upstairs. I barely heard her as I began thinking about that night.

"THANK YOU SO much for doing this, Andre," I said as I slid into the passenger's seat of Lissa's big brother's car.

"It's not a problem. You're not going far. Besides, you're paying me. I'm not going to pass up easy money," Andre laughed.

We spoke little as he drove through town. The address was just outside of the city limits. Although I'd spent a lot of time around Andre because of Lissa, we didn't have much in common, so we didn't talk much. I was also too preoccupied with my thoughts to keep an actual conversation going.

It didn't take long to get to the address on the paper. It was a medium-sized white house with maroon shutters and trim. The yard was small, with a few trees scattered around it. A small row of flowers lined the front of the porch, giving the place a splash of color.

I thanked Andre for the ride before hopping out. I quickly walked down the path to the front door, hoping no one I knew would see me.

"Well," I sighed once I'd made it to the door, "here we go." I lifted up my hand to knock, but the door swung open before I could. Strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me inside, shutting the door quickly. The next thing I knew, I was up against the wall and Dimitri's lips were crushed against mine.

"I…have missed…you so…much," he said between kisses.

I couldn't help the smile on my lips as we kissed. This felt so good! I was on cloud nine, my body heating up in response to his touch. Unfortunately, my mind decided to override my body – the first time it had ever done that when with Dimitri.

I slid to the side since I couldn't step back, putting my hands out in front of me. "Wait, wait, wait. Before we do anything else, we need to talk. _That _is the reason we're here, comrade."

But as I looked up into his beautiful, deep brown eyes, I started to lose my will. He was wearing his hair down, the bottom of it gently touching his shoulders. He had on jeans and a black V-neck shirt. Man, did he look sexy.

Dimitri immediately pulled back to look at me. I could see that he wanted to continue with the kissing – that wasn't a bad idea – but it was obvious that he knew I was right. He took a deep breath and nodded. "I know. I'm sorry, I just haven't been with you in so long. You have no idea how hard it is, Roza."

"Oh, believe me, I know." I looked around the place. "So…where should we go to talk?"

We were in Dimitri's mother's – Olena – house. They'd gone to visit other family for the week and Dimitri was given a key so he could water the plants while they were gone. "To my room."

"Your room?" I asked as he began leading me through the living room and down a hallway.

He chuckled as he opened the first door to the right. "Our family is very close. My mother wanted to make sure I had a room I could come home to if I needed it. I've stayed here once or twice when the whole family gets together, but that's about it."

I looked around the room. It was plain white, with one window, a bed, and a desk. "Yeah, I can tell."

"Now," he began, sitting on the bed and patting the spot next to him. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"

I didn't know where to begin. There were so many things on my mind, but I knew one of them took priority over the next. Sitting down next to him and interlocking our fingers, I whispered, "How are we going to do this?"

I thought that he might not know what I meant, but of course he would. My Dimitri had a way of knowing exactly what I meant, even when I hadn't said a word at all. It was one of the reasons I knew we had to stick it out. I was convinced we were made for each other.

"It isn't going to be easy, but we'll manage it. You only have a few more months until you turn eighteen and only a few more after that until you graduate. After that…we can do whatever we want." He took my hands in his and placed them on his leg, giving me a smile.

My eyes were glued to our hands. There were so many thoughts running through my head that I couldn't make sense of them. _Will we be able to maintain a relationship when we have to hide it all the time? When will we see each other? What if Ms. Amos or my dad finds out?_

"Roza?"

I looked up to his face, my heart stuttering as I did. Before another thought could cross my mind, I leaned over, lifting my face to his.

Suddenly, my whole world was on fire. Every time his lips moved on mine, it felt as if I would explode. Oh, and it was _nothing _compared to what his hands on my body did. Every brush sent bolts of electricity into me, effectively shutting off my brain. I decided that that was a good thing; if I were to use my brain, I would stop this.

"I love you," I whispered, in between kisses. "I love you so much."

As quickly as the heat had engulfed me, it spit me back out. My eyes snapped open as I wondered where he'd gone.

"I…" Dimitri now sat a foot away from me on the bed, staring at the ground. "I don't know what to say."

I sat back up, confused. "Wait. What just happened?"

When he looked back up at me, his eyes were glistening, but I couldn't tell if he was sad or angry. "I _know _that tone of voice, Rose." I felt the heat of a blush working its way to my cheeks. When Dimitri saw that, he grabbed me and held me in his arms. "Don't do this. _Please. _We'll find a way to work everything out."

"I don't know, Dimitri." Tears were beginning to form in my eyes. "It seems like everything is standing in our way."

He grabbed my chin and brought my face up to look at him. "I know. But...you're worth going through all of it."

That did it. The tears fell onto my cheeks as I began to sob. The last few weeks had been nothing but miserable for me, but I hadn't shed a single tear. Everything that had been stored up came crashing down and I could do nothing but let Dimitri hold me.

And he did. I don't know how long we stayed like that, but Dimitri never said a word. He just held me in his arms, stroked my hair, and let me cry. When I finally felt a little better, I pulled out of his arms and said, "Well…_that's _not the way I wanted this weekend to start."

I'd hoped that would lighten the mood, but Dimitri stayed serious. "Rose, I already lost you once. Don't make me lose you again."

"You won't," I whispered, taking his face in my hand. "I promise."

And that was when we had the most incredible make-up sex to date.

**There we go! Hope you guys enjoyed it. Again, sorry about the wait. I don't know if I'll be able to update every day, but I will try my best. I did see the official motion poster for Blood Sisters and it is amazing! Now they need to give us a trailer! Let me know how you liked this chapter in the reviews!**


	2. Blown Out of Proportion

**Hey guys! I'm trying to write as much as I can when I have the time so that I can get the chapters out ASAP. I'll try to let you know ahead of time when I won't be able to update. Okay, let's get into this!**

"That feels nice…" I whispered, loving the feel of Dimitri's hands on me.

He chuckled before saying, "In that case, I'll have to do it more often."

I smiled. "That you will… Oh, that's a little _too _hard."

"Oh? I thought you liked it rough."

I laughed as I turned around to face him. "Yeah, but not when you're trying to take chunks out of my back with your fingers!"

Dimitri grabbed my waist and pulled me up to lay beside him. "Hey, you asked me to rub your back and I did. You didn't specify how rough you wanted me to be."

I opened my mouth to talk, but he brought his hands to my sides and began tickling me before I could. "Dimitri!" I yelled through my laughter.

"If you ask nicely, I _might _– "

I didn't hear anything after that. My hands dropped down to my sides involuntarily, completely limp. I could no longer see or hear anything. I could feel my body, but I couldn't get it to do anything. I had this overwhelming feeling that I needed to get…somewhere as fast as I could, but I had no idea where that was.

In an instant, my vision was back, even though I saw a dark shadow in the corners of my eyes. I inhaled deeply, only then realizing that I had been holding my breath. Dimitri had stopped tickling me and was now looking at me with concern.

I sat up as quickly as I could. "I have to go," I said before getting up and starting toward the door.

Dimitri grabbed my arm before I could make it and pulled me back to him. "Why? What just happened?"

"Let me go, Dimitri! I have to go!" I tried yanking out of his grasp, but he wasn't about to free me without an explanation.

He had a look of confusion on his face for only a moment before putting on his poker face. "Rose, you need to calm down and talk to me."

I shook my head as the need to run became even stronger. Tears were beginning to form in my eyes. "I have to go! I need to get to her! She's in trouble; I know it!"

Dimitri took no time to go into action. He got up and left the room with me in tow. He quickly grabbed his car keys and led me out the door.

I didn't really pay attention to anything on the way over to Lissa's. I was in my own mind. What had happened to Lissa? Was she hurt? I had no idea what was going on, but I did know that there was _something _wrong with her, whether it be emotionally or physically. One of the main things I was wondering about was how in the hell she'd been able to send something to me from so far away.

When we finally made it to Lissa's, I jumped out of the car at a run for her porch. I could hear screaming from inside, which only made me freak out more. I burst in the door to find Christian holding a screaming Lissa back from the stairs.

"What's going on?!" I yelled when I got to Lissa, taking her arms in my hands.

She pulled away from me and continued to yell. Christian, who had one arm around Lissa's waist, used his free arm to grab onto me. "Rose, don't go up there. It's not something you want to see. Just go."

"What? What's happening? Damn it, Christian!" I smacked him. "Tell me what's going on right now!"

Another hand grabbed the top of my arm. I turned to see Dimitri behind me, looking back and forth between all of us. "Rose, what's happening?"

"I don't know! Grizzly Adams over here won't tell me anything."

"Grizzly Adams?" Christian laughed. "What the hell, Rose?"

I turned and pointed my index finger at him, right in front of his face. "You are in _no _position to be joking around right now."

"Rose?"

I looked up the stairs to find my mom at the top. I mentally said a prayer, thanking whoever it was that put her here. Now I could get some answers. "Mom!" I ran up the stairs to stand next to her. "What's going on? Why are you here?"

My mom turned away from me, so I could barely see the blush on her cheek. I was confused as to why she would be blushing, but I didn't stay that way for long. Before I could say anything, Lissa screamed, "Yeah! Go ahead and tell her, Janine! Tell her how you've been _sleeping _with my dad!"

"What?" I whispered, hoping I'd heard her wrong. There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at me, wondering what I would do. "Mom?" She was still looking at the wall, so I couldn't read her face. "Mom, look at me."

But she wouldn't. My whole world warped, as if I were living in an alternate reality and hadn't realized it until now. My mom was…cheating on my dad…

Dimitri was at the top of the steps before I'd even realized he'd moved. "Rose, I think – "

"How _could _you?!" I yelled, not really knowing what else to do. I had an overwhelming urge to hit her, but I knew that would only make things worse. "How long have you been doing…_this_?!"

My mom turned to me, a mask of anger on her face. "Don't you give me any of that! I'm not the only one who's been lying about my love life." She specifically looked from me to Dimitri and back.

I involuntarily looked down the stairs to Christian and Lissa. During all the commotion, Mia and Eddie had arrived, but I hadn't even noticed. Lissa had this desperate look on her face, as if she wished she could take the words my mom had said back. Christian, Eddie, and Mia were all stunned, looking back and forth between Dimitri and I like my mom just had.

"I…" I wanted to deny it, but I knew there would be no point. Everyone here knew the truth now, thanks to my lousy reaction skills. I turned back to my mom. "_I'm _not married."

A look of shame crossed my mom's face for only a moment. She, like Dimitri, had an excellent poker face. When I thought about it, that was probably why no one had known what was going on between her and Eric Dragomir. "_I'm _not a minor."

"Rose," Dimitri said, tugging on my arm, "let's go."

"Oh, she isn't going _anywhere _with you, Dimitri," my mom sneered.

Dimitri calmly looked over at my mom with his – I could tell since I'd spent so much time with him – analyzing look. "To be honest, Mrs. Hathaway, I don't think you want Rose around you right now. This is a very…intense situation. You should both take some time to calm down before you sit down and talk."

"I – " My mom stopped speaking as she thought about it. She cleared her throat and continued, "I am going home. Rose, maybe you should spend the night at…" She looked at Dimitri. "At a friend's house. We'll talk tomorrow."

I couldn't say anything as she walked out. I was afraid that Lissa might try to hit her, but she just closed her eyes as my mom walked by.

"Lissa!" Mr. Dragomir called from down the hall.

Lissa opened her eyes and looked around at all of us. "I don't know about you guys, but I really don't want to be here right now."

"I DON'T KNOW what to say, guys," I said once we were all seated with our drinks.

Mia sighed. "Why don't you start with the beginning? _Both _of you."

I was a little surprised that Mia was the one to speak up, but I knew it shouldn't have. She – like Christian and Eddie – was probably completely confused right now and just wanted answers. I looked over at Dimitri, who stared right back into my eyes. When he gave me a small nod, I knew he'd read everything in my expression.

"Okay, then," he began. "We met last summer at the Jersey Shore. We instantly clicked and spent most of our time there together. We both…well, lied to each other about certain things, so when I took the counseling job here, I had no idea Rose went to your school. We tried to stay away from each other, but…"

Eddie scoffed, getting everyone's attention. "There shouldn't _be _a 'but'." He turned to look at me, his eyes narrowed. The light from outside the window behind me was shining right in his hazel eyes, making them look green. Instead of their usual twinkle and beauty, they were dull, accusing. "Rose, how could you…?" He looked to Dimitri, obviously perplexed. "I just don't even know where to start."

It stung, having Eddie look at me that way. He'd been one of my best friends for a long time and knowing that he was disappointed in me made me question – again – whether or not being in a relationship with Dimitri was a good thing.

I looked from Eddie to Dimitri, who took my hand underneath the table. His touch sent a shiver through me, but it wasn't nice-feeling in any way. It reminded me of how I felt every time I tried to let Mason down gently.

_You know you have to let him go sooner or later, right? _I thought. _You knew that the moment this weekend began._

I let go of Dimitri's hand and took a deep breath. He turned to look at me and our eyes connected. He was worried and he had every right to be. "I…"

"Whoa," breathed Lissa.

I'd been so caught up in my thoughts – and worried about what I was about to do – that I'd completely forgotten about my friends. Turning toward them, I saw that Lissa looked as if she were swooning and Christian was looking at her as if she were crazy. Mia and Eddie were staring at her, confused as to what had just happened as well.

"What?" I asked her, snapping her out of whatever trance she'd been in.

When she realized that everyone was staring at her, she swept her long blonde hair behind her shoulders and sat up straight. Clearing her throat, she told me, "Don't do it."

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "Liss!"

"I'm sorry! It wasn't like I was – " Lissa stopped talking, looking over at the rest of our friends. "We'll talk later."

Christian put a hand on Lissa's shoulder while running his other hand through his hair. He was obviously frustrated. "No, you most certainly will not talk later. You _two_," he looked over at me and then back to Lissa, "need to stop keeping secrets from the rest of us. Look how well it turned out the last time: both of you got kidnapped and one of you wound up in the hospital. Enough is enough."

I was surprised at Christian's outburst and, by the look on Lissa's face, so was she. She opened her mouth to reply to him – I could tell that whatever it was, it wasn't pretty – but Eddie beat her to the punch.

"You knew about this?" His mouth fell open as blood ran to his cheeks. It was rare to see Eddie this mad; in fact, I was pretty sure I'd _never _seen him this mad. He looked over to Christian. "Did you know, too? Was I the only one who didn't know about any of this?!"

"Hey," Mia protested, "I didn't know, either." By the look on her face, Mia was upset that Eddie had completely forgotten about her, but Eddie wasn't paying attention. He was too upset at the rest of us to notice.

Christian leaned closer to Eddie, keeping his voice low. "I found out the same time you did. You should really think about keeping your voice down unless you want everyone in this place to know about it, too."

"Yeah?" Eddie asked, intentionally keeping his voice up. "Well, maybe they should."

With that, Eddie got up and left. He never even looked back for Mia, who looked pretty damn upset. She unfolded her arms and leaned toward me. "Rose, you're my friend and I want you to be happy. That's why I'm not going to give you hell about your relationship. I don't…understand it yet, but it doesn't matter."

"Thank you, Mia," I breathed, happy that at least one of them had understood. "You don't – "

"I'm not finished," she interjected. "I want you to be happy, but that doesn't mean I'm not upset that you lied to me. That being said, I'm going to go home and enjoy the rest of my weekend."

We all watched Mia as she left, none of us really knowing what to say after _two _people stormed off. Once she was out the door, we all looked at each other before Christian declared that coffee was definitely needed. Lissa went with him, giving me a look before she did. Although I was still a little irritated with her for reading my emotions, I was tempted to take her advice, at least until we could talk privately.

Dimitri let out a little nervous chuckle. "Well, that could've gone a little better."

"Yeah, I know. I was there," I whispered, staring at my folded hands on the table. Although Lissa told me one thing, my mind was telling me another. I _had _to end this relationship. My friend's reactions were just further proof that I was right. If the people closest to me couldn't accept my relationship, how could anyone?

"Hey, it's all going to – "

"Don't, Dimitri. Just don't say – _that_. It's all I've been hearing the past month. 'It'll all get better soon', 'It's all going to be okay'… Oh, and the worst? 'The sun will come out tomorrow'. Seriously? I got kidnapped, beat up, and _died_. You're really going to quote _Annie _to me?" I laughed.

Dimitri chuckled, draping an arm over my shoulder. I knew that we shouldn't be so open in public, but at that point, I really didn't care. My mom was cheating on my dad, my dad was forbidding my relationship, my friends were mad at me, and even a freaking teacher at my school was all over me. Besides, to the outside world, it just looked like a friendly gesture. To me, it was a life line.

"Listen kid," he said, affection in his tone. "Bad things happen, and there's nothing you can do about it." I looked over at him and gasped, trying my best not to laugh. He gave me a small smirk and continued, "That's a quote, too."

"Where in the world did you find such a horrible quote?"

"_The Lion King_." His smirk grew into a smile.

Before I could reply, Christian and Lissa returned with drinks for all of us. I thanked them, grabbed a cup, and said, "Alright, just ask what you want to ask, Christian. We might as well just get everything out in the open."

For a moment, I saw a look of amusement on Christian's face, but it was gone as fast as it had come. He turned to Lissa. "What did you mean earlier? When you said, 'don't do it'?"

Uh-oh. I hadn't meant for him to ask about _that_. My mind was spinning, trying to find something to say, but I was coming up with nothing. Hopefully Lissa could get herself out of this one.

"I meant…" She looked over at Dimitri and I could see, just by the look on her face, that she was about to spill the beans. A wave of anxiety went through me as I desperately wished I could stop her, but there was nothing I could do. Her face went blank for a moment before she nervously glanced over at me. So she wanted me to step in, too.

"Yeah," Lissa breathed, nodding. "I think Rose is right: we need to just get everything out in the open. So…I can kind of feel people's emotions sometimes. Next."

My mouth fell open as I looked at her, wondering what the hell she was thinking. "Seriously?"

Before she could answer, there was a commotion in the front of the store. We all looked to each other for a moment before standing up and running to the gathering crowd. I began trying to squirm through the people, completely losing track of Christian and Lissa. Dimitri was right on my heels.

In the middle of the crowd, Camille lay on the ground unconscious. There was blood running out of her nose and onto the ground. I was so shocked that I couldn't think, couldn't remember what to do. I just stood there with the rest of the crowd. Luckily, I didn't need to do anything because Dimitri was already in action.

He kneeled down next to Camille, taking her wrist in his hand as he tried to hear if she was breathing. "Camille?" he asked, but there was no response. It only took him a moment to examine her before he called me over. I hustled over to kneel next to him. "Do you know how to do CPR?"

"I – yeah, but I –"

"Alright." He nodded before turning back to the crowd. "Someone needs to call 911. Don't all call at once or you'll jam up the lines."

"I'm already on it!" Christian yelled from the back of the crowd.

Dimitri looked back at me. "Rose, you need to pump her blood while I give her oxygen. Do you remember?" I nodded before he'd even finished his sentence and had my hands in place on Camille's chest. He tilted Camille's head back only a little bit before giving her two deep breaths. Once he had, I started the chest compressions.

I'd gotten to the twentieth chest compression when I heard the sirens outside. Dimitri took Camille's pulse after I was done, but he shook his head and began giving her two more breaths. I'd gotten to the tenth compression when I heard a _snap! _I immediately took my hands off of Camille, worried that I'd done something wrong.

"What's wrong?" Dimitri asked, worried.

"I-uh-something snapped! I didn't mean to, it just happened!"

The paramedics made their way in then, so Dimitri and I stepped back into the crowd. "It's okay," he whispered to me. "You probably just broke a rib." I must have had a look of horror on my face because Dimitri gave me a small smile before explaining, "It happens sometimes, but it isn't anything serious. The important thing is getting the oxygen through her body."

"Did anyone see what happened?" one of the paramedics asked, a young blonde woman. She'd brought two other paramedics with her, who had taken my and Dimitri's spots in performing CPR. The blonde paramedic scanned the crowd as everyone began mumbling that they hadn't seen anything. I, too, was looking through the crowd and was surprised when I saw Nick.

He was looking down at Camille in horror. _Yeah, _I thought, _welcome to our town._

"You." The blonde paramedic snapped me out of my thoughts. She was looking right at Dimitri. "You're – "

"Uh, yeah," Dimitri interrupted, glancing over at me.

She looked over to me and her eyes widened before she smiled. "Wow. I have to tell you, I will never forget that ride. I honestly don't know how – "

"Marissa?"

The paramedics who'd been working on Camille – both men – had stopped and were looking up at the blonde. One of them shook his head at her as the other began putting away their instruments. The blonde immediately stopped our conversation and began helping the other two.

I put my hand over my mouth as I tried to make sense of what just happened.

THAT NIGHT WAS horrible. Dimitri and I were spending the night at his apartment instead of his family's house since they were coming home that night. We hadn't spoken much all night and I was finding it hard to fall asleep, even in Dimitri's arms.

Once I was sure he was asleep, I slipped out of his grasp and the bed. I grabbed my laptop case – I'd brought my computer just in case, but I didn't think I'd actually be using it – and went to the living room, sitting down on the couch.

I spent the next six hours on the couch, surfing the web, and listening to music. I was tired, but I felt the need to get up and move around at the same time. Camille hadn't been a good friend – she hadn't been a _friend_, period – but she was still someone I knew, someone I went to school with. And I couldn't help but think of Mason as well, which made me think of everything that had happened in this crazy town.

I would finally stop thinking about it and just delve into the internet. That is, until I thought about Camille again. It was a vicious cycle.

At five in the morning, I changed into some sweats and a long-sleeve shirt since it was cold outside. I grabbed my Ipod and headed out for a jog. It smelled like coffee and donuts outside, probably from the store down the road from Dimitri's apartment. I pressed play on my Ipod and "Ridin' Solo" by Jason Derulo automatically came on. I was half-tempted to stop it, but decided I could use a little pick-me-up.

There was no one outside yet, so I decided to pick up my pace a little bit. Before I knew it, I was getting into the music and forgetting about everything else. I ran until I came upon the pasture in front of the local cemetery. The sun was coming up, making the pasture gleam in an orange light. The dew shined on the tips of the grass and made the place smell fresh and new.

As Kings of Leon performed "Closer" in my ears, I began walking, not even aware of where I was going. It seemed as if something were pulling me that direction. Maybe it was the eerie sound of the music, the way the place looked, or maybe it was just my subconscious.

I knew where I would end up even before I got there. Seeing the dilapidated state of Mason's honorary headstone made my heart ache. Eddie's parents had bought it and put it here for us to visit since Mason's actual grave was 3 hours away.

"You don't deserve this," I whispered as I sat down next to his headstone. Touching the grooves of it only made me feel worse. "Mason… Camille may be joining you. I don't know – I mean, they may have saved her at the hospital, but I…I just don't think so. I miss you, Mase. But maybe it's better that you aren't here, that you don't have to suffer through all the pain the rest of us have."

I turned away from his headstone, trying to think of what to say next, and saw the most beautiful sign. The cemetery had always gotten in bad shape during the winter, making it look creepy. I'd always found that odd. Why do we place the ones we loved and lost in such an odd, scary place? But right on the edge of the cemetery – just in front of the fence that separated it from the pasture – a patch of red roses stood.

I sighed. "Isn't it beautiful, Mase? The way the pasture is lit up compared to the dreary cemetery? It's like seeing in color for the first time."

"Ah, careful there, Rose. You're going to go crazy again."

I turned to look over at Mason, smiling as I did. "I'm actually starting to think being crazy might not be that bad."

"ROSE, WHERE IN the _hell _have you been?! I've been worried sick," Dimitri told me as I came in the apartment. It was just after six, but he looked completely awake. By the looks of it, he'd been in the process of getting dressed. He had on a pair of blue jeans, but hadn't yet gotten to the shirt.

I ran over to him, not even bothering to answer. He snatched me up before I'd even had the chance to leap into his arms. As our lips came together, I knew in my bones that Lissa had been right to stop me the day before. How had I ever thought I could give him up?

"I'm so sorry," I gasped, breaking away from him. "I love you."

He smiled, making his eyes light up. "Oh, and I love you, my Roza."

Life is so short. Both Mason and Camille were proof of that. And, sitting in that cemetery, I'd realized that my life could be snuffed out in an instant, so I wanted to spend every minute I could with Dimitri.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Dimitri and I shared a glance before he put me down. He gave me the signal to hide – taking both fists and rotating them around each other; we'd figured out signals we could send to each other so we wouldn't have to speak, just in case something like this happened – and I quickly snuck back to Dimitri's hallway, out of sight.

"Hold on just a moment," Dimitri called. I assumed he was getting a shirt on. A few moments went by before I heard the door open.

"Oh, uh, Mr. Belikov. Hi. Is Rose ready to go?"

I was already walking out of the hallway before Lissa could finish. "What are you even doing up? It's barely six."

Dimitri stepped to the side so that Lissa could come in. To my surprise, Christian wasn't with her. "I thought you'd want the official news." She waited for me to nod and then continued. "Camille is dead. They aren't saying how because it's officially an investigation, but I thought you'd want to know."

"Uh, yeah, thanks for coming and telling me. Although, you know you could've just called."

Lissa quickly glanced in between me and Dimitri, blushing as she did. "Oh, yeah, I'll just be going then…"

Dimitri offered Lissa to stay for breakfast, but she declined and we said our goodbyes until school. It didn't take Dimitri and I long to get ready and eat before we headed out. I'd offered to just walk to school so we wouldn't look suspicious, but Dimitri said that it was fine. My mom _had _given me permission to stay there.

That didn't prevent me from feeling weird, though, as I hopped out of Dimitri's car in the employee parking lot. As we walked to the entrance of the school, everyone was looking at us. Although this freaked me out a little, I felt more exhilarated than anything. _If only they knew…_

Looking at everyone, though, I could tell that the news of Camille's death would still be a surprise to some. That was strange to me, considering everyone knew about Mason's death the day after it happened.

"Hey, Hathaway," Jesse Zeklos called. "Going after the older guys, I see…"

I glanced over at Dimitri, who was stoic, and back at Jesse, giving him a smile. "Oh, he wishes."

My good mood plummeted as soon as I was in the school. There were grieving students everywhere and – although that was depressing in and of itself – there were also two men in suits at the office. I was about to tell Dimitri that I'd see him later when I saw Mrs. Stepp pointing at the two of us.

_Oh, God, _I thought. _They know about us. How could you be so stupid, Rose? How could you be so sloppy?!_

Dimitri apparently saw her pointing at us as well. He stopped walking and backed up to get closer to me. I knew that, if worst came to worst, Dimitri would do whatever he could to protect me, but it wasn't me that I was worried about.

We waited as the two men walked up to us. One was, well, completely and totally hot, even for an older guy. He looked maybe 35, with dark hair and a little stubble. The other was much younger, in his early twenties, with curly brown hair the same color as his eyes.

"Hello, Miss Hathaway and Mr. Belikov. I'm special agent Zack Browning and this is my associate, Dr. Harold Addy. We're from the FBI, investigating the death of Camille Conta. We're very sorry for your loss," the older one said.

Dimitri took Browning's hand as I took Addy's to shake. "It's nice to meet you."

Both of the agents, as if on cue, nodded to us. "We'd like it if you could come downtown with us for questioning," Browning, clearly the leader, explained.

"I have some appointments and I'm really needed here for Camille's friends. Is there any way we could reschedule it?" Dimitri asked.

Dr. Addy finally spoke up. "Actually, we could do the questioning in your office, if you'd like. That's really the best we can do."

IT WASN'T UNTIL P.E. that I got to finally see Lissa. I filled her in on everything the agents had asked us, mostly just stuff about Camille's collapse at the coffee shop.

"Thank God," she breathed. "I'd thought you two had been caught."

Before we could actually get the conversation going, Coach called for everyone's attention. "Alright, everyone. Today, we're going out to the track, running two laps, and then coming back in to play a game. If everyone gets it done quickly, I'll let you pick what game you play. Get to it."

Lissa and I were always the type to get the hard part over with as fast as we can and then play, so we waited to talk until we got done running.

"Gotcha this time, Rose," Liss said, trying to catch her breath as I ran across the finish line.

I laughed even as I tried to catch my own breath. "You wish. I let you win."

We'd gotten about halfway back to the school when I remembered I left my water bottle back at the track. Lissa offered to go with me to get it, but I told her to go on ahead. As I got closer to the track, I could hear Coach yelling.

"Mansle, Diaz, get out here and run or everyone will suffer! Trust me, you don't want that!"

Looking down the track, I saw Nick and Simon trying to hide underneath the bleachers. I'd had no idea that Nick was in that class, but I guess I'd been a little preoccupied. The new guy seemed like such old news.

"This is my last warning! You two better get out here or we'll all go in and _I'll _choose what we do," Coach went on.

It turned out that Coach did have to choose what we did because Simon and Nick decided to stay under the bleachers. Everyone was moaning about the two of them, but I really didn't care. I usually liked the games Coach chose for us to play. Looking over at Lissa, though, I kind of wished that they hadn't gotten into trouble. Lissa was pretty bad at sports, but even worse at the sports Coach chose.

"We're playing dodge ball. I'll count you off into two different teams…" Coach explained.

It didn't take long for us to begin playing. It was hard for me to try and defend Lissa – she was on the same team as me – and take out the other team's players at the same time, but I was managing pretty well. I was just about to take down Jesse when Simon fell flat out of nowhere on the other side of the gym.

Everyone ran to him, concerned. When I got up close and saw him, I knew that they were right to be.

Simon was unconscious, blood pouring out of his nose just like with Camille.

Lissa, who was at my side, grabbed my arm. "Rose…"

"Yeah," I breathed. "I know."

** Sorry that these chapters have been a bit shorter than the other story. I'm going to work on making them a little longer, I've just been a bit busy lately. So, let me know what you thought of this chapter in the reviews and I hope you guys have a great day! :)**


	3. Get Back Up

**So… This story is coming along a little slower than the other. I guess it is because I am trying to get back into my "groove". Please excuse me if my writing is a little off or the plot is becoming…screwy. Also, to those who don't know it, this is a sequel. I probably should've made that clear in the beginning(I didn't have room to write it in the summary, but I did write "Couples Therapy 2", hoping that would be enough), but I didn't. So I'm doing it now.**

* * *

CLASSES HAD BEEN dismissed for the rest of the day as the police moved in to investigate Simon's death. Normally, I would've been ecstatic that I got out of school, but not under these circumstances. I felt as if everything around me were crumbling to pieces before my eyes…and there was nothing I could do about it.

"Maybe you should go home," Lissa said as we made our way to the school's main doors.

I gave her the best you've-got-to-be-joking look I could manage. "Yeah, because I want to see my mom so badly. And what about you? It's not like you're going home to settle things with dear old dad."

"Rose," she began, keeping her voice low so that no one would hear. "I _am _going home to talk to my dad. I didn't want to bring it up this morning because I was afraid it might upset you, but my dad and I talked last night." I was going to interrupt her – more like yell at her for not filling me in on every detail – but she wouldn't let me. "Well, we didn't actually 'talk'. It was more like talking about talking. We were going to talk after school today, but I guess I'll just have to wait for him to get home from work now that we've been let out early."

I mulled over that for a moment as Lissa stopped by her locker to switch out her books. If Lissa and her dad could work things out, did that mean that my mom and I could as well? No, it couldn't possibly. Her dad hadn't _cheated _on his spouse, unlike my mom. "What am I supposed to do, though? Tell my dad? Keep it from him? Everything has changed, Liss. It's not like I can just go home and pretend to be okay with this."

"Be okay with what?" Eddie asked, coming to stand next to Lissa. I noticed that Mia wasn't in tow with him today.

Lissa smiled, shutting her locker as she did. "I thought he'd have figured out by now that you and I stop at our lockers to talk. _Privately._"

"Fine. I'll just go," he murmured, starting to turn.

I quickly came around Lissa and grabbed Eddie's arm, stopping him. "Wait, Eddie." I waited for him to turn around, shake me off, or even yell at me, but he did nothing. I decided to just forge ahead, whether he listened to me or not. "I know that you're pissed about…well, you know, but I can't say that I'm sorry. I can't apologize for something that I see no wrong in."

He looked at me, his face set in a stern mask. "Then I have nothing to say to you."

With that, Eddie stormed away from me for the second time in two days. I turned to Lissa, fully intending to let my frustration out, but I saw something behind her that stopped me in my tracks. Lissa had gone pale, but she still turned when she saw the look on my face.

Maria Diaz – Simon's little sister – was being walked down the hallway by a classmate. She was crying hysterically, but she'd managed not to make a sound as she maneuvered her way through the crowd. Seeing her made me feel even worse than I had before. Not just one, but _two _people we went to school with had died and here I was, worrying about my mother's – and my own – affair.

I stepped forward, intending to give her my condolences, but Lissa stopped me. "Don't, Rose. She won't hear you; she's too upset."

That was when I noticed just how sick Lissa looked. She was almost white, her skin had gone so pale. The areas around her eyes were beginning to darken and her lips looked almost blue. The whole affect made her look like a ghost.

"Hey, I think you need to – "

Before I could finish, Lissa broke into sobs that racked her entire body. I immediately sprang forward, wrapping her in my arms. "Shush, shush. It's all going to be okay, Liss. You're okay."

She nodded even though she was still crying. "I kn-know. It's j-just Maria's em-emotions."

"Hey, sorry it took me – Lissa!" Christian had come up from behind her, so he hadn't been able to tell that she was crying until he got to us. Lissa immediately stepped out of my grasp and into Christian's, sobbing even harder on his shoulder. A pang of jealousy shot through me at her wanting to be comforted by him instead of me, but I shoved it back down. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Looking at his face, I could tell that Christian had no idea about Simon. After he'd collapsed, Coach ordered all of us to go into the locker rooms until he came to get us, calling an ambulance as he did. It was hard to hear anything that was going on in the gym, so we'd all just sat around, wondering if our classmate would suffer the same fate as Camille.

I'd been keeping track of time on my phone and was surprised when the bell that signaled the end of class never rang. My best guess was that the office had turned them off so they could keep everyone in their classrooms. Sure enough, five minutes after the bell was supposed to ring, Mrs. Stepp made an announcement that everyone should remain in their current classroom until otherwise notified.

It wasn't until third period was almost up that they made an announcement that everyone was dismissed for the rest of the day. By then, everyone in gym had already texted their friends, telling them about what happened with Simon. Lissa and I – with our lousy phone service – hadn't been able to get any signal in the locker room, so we weren't able to tell any of our friends.

"It's a long story, and one that we don't want to talk about here. Let's go outside," I said, taking Lissa's things so she wouldn't have to worry about lugging them around.

We came across Mia and Eddie as we made our way outside and I nodded for them to follow us, but I had no idea whether they really would or not. They may have still been pissed at me, but that really didn't matter then.

"Spill," Christian demanded as soon as we'd exited the school.

I opened my mouth to do just that, but Mia butted in before I could. "So…it's true then? About Simon?"

"What _about _Simon?" Christian asked, clearly getting aggravated. A group of people walking past us turned to give him glares, clearly thinking he was rude.

I quickly decided to interject – quietly – before we caught anyone else's attention. "Simon passed out in gym, the same way Camille did in the coffee shop. They took him to the hospital, but I have a bad feeling about it. That's why we need to keep it down and get out of here to talk. There are too many other people around."

My friends took a moment to look around before agreeing. Lissa, who had mostly gotten control of herself, wiped her face and turned to me, grabbing her things. "I'll be alright. Let's just get out of here."

"I THINK WE definitely need to consider drugs," Eddie said. Although we were all together, he was still ignoring me, so that was directed at the others.

We were at Christian's house, but we couldn't stay long since Lissa had to go talk to her dad. We'd been talking about what could have happened to both Camille and Simon. It was hard to put scenarios out there when we didn't have a clue what really happened. Even if we did figure it out somehow, we wouldn't be able to prove anything. That was, needless to say, frustrating.

"Well, yeah," Mia agreed. She hadn't exactly been ignoring me, but she hadn't been friendly, either. "That was the first thing I thought of when I saw Camille. She had blood pouring out of her nose. Unless someone was able to hit her without anyone noticing, she died from something internal."

Christian laughed, causing everyone to glare at him. This wasn't funny. He spread his hands and shrugged. "Sorry, it's just… Listen to us! We're sitting around, talking as if we're part of the CSI crew. Even if any one of us had extensive knowledge about the human body, we won't be able to know anything for certain unless we did an autopsy. For all we know, they had brain aneurisms."

It was my turn to laugh. "_Two _people – _young _people – in the same town die of brain aneurisms a day apart? I don't think so."

"Why are we even trying to figure it out? Isn't that the police's job?" Lissa asked.

We all looked around at each other. I can't say for the rest of them, but I was thinking that Lissa actually had a point. I shrugged. "I guess…after everything that happened before, my curiosity is getting the best of me. I mean, you can't tell me that this past month hasn't been boring compared to the beginning of school."

Eddie scoffed. "Could've fooled me."

Part of me felt bad when he said that – for lying to him – but another part puffed up in anger. My love life had absolutely _nothing _to do with him! How did he have any right to be mad at me?

I opened my mouth to chew him out, but Lissa quickly grabbed my arm. "We're going to go outside and talk for a minute. We'll be right back."

With that, Lissa marched me to the front door, her hand never leaving my arm. As soon as she'd closed the door, I started. "Liss, I'm sorry but – "

"I didn't bring you out here to chew you out," she explained. "I wanted to give you my advice before I had to leave. About your mom." She paused, giving me a moment to speak, but I stayed silent. If it had been Christian, Eddie, Mia – hell, maybe even Dimitri – I would've told them to stop right there, that I didn't need their advice. Lissa, though, had always been there for me. She was like a sister, my oldest confidant. I genuinely wanted to hear what she had to say.

"I know it's hard, believe me, but you really should go home and talk to her. Think about it like this: if you and Dimitri had been caught by your mom, you would want the chance to explain, right? Instead of having your mom completely ignore you?" I nodded. "Then you should do the same for her. That may not fix everything, but it's a step in the right direction."

It was strange. Lissa's idea seemed…reasonable. Oh God, what was happening to me?

I shrugged. "Maybe." But I'd already made my mind up; I was going to go home and talk to my mom. I could tell by the look on her face that Lissa knew it, too.

We were just about to go inside when my cell phone rang. It was Dimitri, so I answered it. "Hello?"

"Rose? Where are you?" he asked, concerned. I explained to him that I was at Christian's, but I was about to head home. "No, stay where you are and wait for me. I'll give you a ride."

I was going to ask him if he thought that was such a good idea or not when he hung up.

Fifteen minutes later, he pulled up to the curb. It was a good thing Eddie and Mia left or I may have had to punch Eddie. I was really getting tired of his attitude. Yeah, he was my friend and I didn't want to hurt him, but sometimes enough was just enough.

As I slipped into the passenger side of the car, a giddy feeling welled up inside of me. I remembered how easy it had been before my dad or Ms. Amos found out about Dimitri and I. I'd spent a lot of time in this car with him, just the two of us. It had been relaxing because we didn't have to worry about anything. Now, all I did was worry.

"Hey," I mumbled as I put my seatbelt on. "What's going on?"

Dimitri shook his head, not looking at me. Instead, he kept his attention on driving. "Nothing. I just wanted to make sure you were safe."

I studied him. It was always hard to read Dimitri when he didn't want you to, he was that good at keeping his emotions in check. I, however, had had some time to get to know him and knew that he was trying to keep something from me. "Come on, comrade," I laughed, hoping to lighten the mood. "It's _me_."

He glanced at me through the corner of his eye before putting his attention back on the road. "I know. I just wanted to make sure you were safe."

"Safe from what? Is there something I should know?"

Dimitri sighed, bringing his right hand up to rub his temple. "No. Well, you already know it. Two students have died in the past two days, Rose. One of them was in the school, one of the safest places for you. I'm trying to be cautious."

We pulled in front of my house and parked. "I can take care of myself. I was taught by the best."

"Yes, but you aren't anywhere near ready to take on a – "

Dimitri stopped talking, looking behind me through the window. I turned to find my mother standing on the porch, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Oh, great," I moaned, rubbing the bridge of my nose. I was starting to get a headache.

"What?"

I let go of my nose, turning to Dimitri. "I have to talk to my mom. It sounds okay in theory, but I don't know if I can actually do it."

"You can do it," he assured me, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "You're stronger than you think, Roza."

"If I'm so strong, why do you have to give me a ride home?" I asked. _Ha! _I thought. _Gotcha now!_

Dimitri cupped the side of my face in one of his hands, his face softening. Looking at him, I couldn't believe I'd ever thought he may not have feelings for me. It was obvious – just from that one look – that he loved me. "Because no matter how strong you are, Rose, I will _always _worry about you."

I thought I'd melt into a puddle, hearing that from him. How stupid had I been, thinking that I could ever give him up? Maybe he was right; maybe we _would _make it through all of our obstacles, even if they seemed –

A knock on my window caused me to jump, snapping me out of my thoughts. Dimitri's hand quickly disappeared from my face before he turned to roll down the window. I didn't have to turn around to know that my mom was standing there.

"I'd like it if you'd come in now. We have a lot to talk about. _All _of us," my mom said, giving Dimitri a look.

I was panicking on the inside, but I was trying my hardest not to let it show. Dimitri had said I was strong; I was going to prove it. I grabbed my things and stepped out of the car, following my mom to the house. I could just barely hear Dimitri's footsteps behind me. Sometimes, I thought he could be a ghost.

I put my things next to the door and sat on the couch as my mother sat in her recliner. It was a dusty, old blue chair, but it was surprisingly comfortable. My mom had had it ever since I was little, maybe even before I was born, but the springs were still intact and it still reclined easily. My dad had always wanted to buy her a new one, but she would turn him down every time, saying that the chair was not only still in good condition, but it had many memories attached to it as well.

Dimitri sat on the other end of the couch as me, clearly not wanting to show off our relationship in front of my mom. I thought about sliding down the couch and putting my hand in his as a clear sign of defiance, but I thought better of it. Dimitri was right; we wouldn't get anywhere if that was how this conversation started.

My mom looked back and forth between us, clearly not knowing where to start. As she did, I studied her. She was in a baggy pair of gray sweats, a pair – I suspected – she'd had from high school. She wore her red hair up in a bun and there were slippers on her feet. The closer I looked, the more I could see red and white blotches on her face. My mom had been crying.

"Okay," she whispered. "I know that…that you probably don't want to talk to me right now, Rose, and that's okay. I understand. But right now, we need to have a talk about the two of you." Dimitri and I glanced at each other. We had no idea where this conversation would lead, but I was preparing myself for the worst.

I drank in his presence, letting every detail flood my mind. His soft brown hair was down, tucked behind his ears so that it wouldn't fall into his face. His deep brown eyes glistened, even though they were anxious. He wore his attire from school; black slacks and a button-down white shirt with a gray sweater to keep him warm. His aftershave wasn't so strong that I could clearly smell it from where I was, but every now and then I'd get a little whiff of it and I loved it. I don't think it was just the aftershave that did it, though. It was just…Dimitri.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking since yesterday…" my mom said, making me turn to look back at her. "I can't even tell you everything that crossed my mind, I've thought so much. But I want you to know that there were a lot of things that factored toward my conclusion when it comes to your…relationship.

"I don't like it." She looked at Dimitri. "You're too old for my daughter. You're her counselor, her _teacher_. She's a minor. If anyone found out about this…you could be in a lot of trouble."

My heart broke. I hadn't realized just how far I had my hopes up until they came crushing down. _You're so stupid, _I thought. _How could you think she'd condone your relationship? Just because you caught her cheating doesn't mean that she _has _to let your relationship continue._

"However, it has come to my attention that things are happening again. Bad things. I don't really know what's going on right now, no one does, but I do know one thing: I want Rose to know how to defend herself. I know that…that she wouldn't be here now if it weren't for you training her." I grimaced as I remembered all the times I'd had to fight for my life since school had started. I also knew that my mother was completely right; I would've died if it hadn't been for Dimitri, in more ways than one.

He was the one who'd brought me back to life.

I know, it sounds…well, really weird. But that's exactly what happened. It had all started with Mason's death. I got some pretty strange text messages from a blocked number, telling me to watch my back. I hadn't taken it seriously and, as a result, I got beat nearly to death. The police didn't know who did it and they came after me again a month and a half later, in the movie theater. I'd managed to fight them off and get away, but that wasn't the end of things.

I guess they decided that – since I'd learned how to fight – they would have to get to me through Lissa. They kidnapped her, sending me a message with an address to be at if I wanted her to stay alive. I thought I was being sneaky by showing up way before the appointed hour, but wound up being held there by Mason's parents and grandparents. His mother had gone absolutely bonkers and thought that I was the reason Mason had died, even though his death had been ruled an accident.

I eventually got out of my bindings and almost out of the building when I got caught by one of my guards. We fought, but he stabbed me just as Dimitri and the police busted in the place. I died. It was a weird experience: I was under a large and deep pool of water, so deep that I couldn't see anything. I'd been content to stay there until I heard Dimitri speaking to me. It was then that I realized I didn't want to be in the water anymore. Something had tried to keep me down there, but it wasn't able to, and I soon returned to the land of the living.

"So," my mom continued, "I want you to continue training Rose. In secret."

The way my mom was looking at us, I could've sworn that there was some hidden meaning behind her words. _There's no way… She couldn't be giving us…permission, could she?_

Dimitri looked to me and then back at my mom, confused. "You mean…?"

She nodded before standing up. "Yes. I know that – in the principle of things – your relationship isn't right, in any way. But I can't deny that you help keep Rose safe…and that's what I need most of all. Besides, I actually owe Rose and I figured this would be more than enough to appease her."

"Appease me?" I asked, confused. How in the world did she owe me? It wasn't like I'd done her any favors by – And then it hit me. I stood up, no longer able to sit from the adrenaline that spiked through me. "You want me to keep your infidelity from dad?!"

My mom flinched, but she stood her ground. "That's exactly what I want you to do. And I don't think you have any other choice. I'm the only one who can help you keep this from your father, as long as you keep my secret from him."

"Oh, great," I mumbled, my fists clenching. "Now we're _both _lying to him! I mean, I get to lie to him. He's my dad and it's my job to be the rebelling teenager, but _you_? Mom…do you even _love _him?"

"Yes." Her answer was immediate.

"Then why would you do this to him?" I asked.

It was a perfectly reasonable question, but she didn't answer right away, her lips forming a tight line in anger. "It's…complicated. Rose, you're young. You can't possibly understand…"

Dimitri stood up then, coming over to take my hand. "In all honestly, Mrs. Hathaway, I'm not as young as Rose and I don't understand why you would be unfaithful. But…" He glanced at me for a moment, worry flashing across his face. "I do understand that you must have your reasons. That's why we'll keep your secret."

"Hey!" I exclaimed, angry that Dimitri was speaking for me. I was about to let go of his hand, but he tightened his grip.

Dimitri looked back at me, straight into my eyes. I didn't even have to concentrate to know what he was trying to tell me. This was our only chance; there was no way we could pass it up. But, for Dimitri, it was as simple as that. I, on the other hand, was stuck in between a rock and a hard place. Either way I went, I'd be betraying someone I loved.

_What makes you happy…? _a voice that sounded suspiciously like Mason whispered in my mind.

I didn't even have to think about it. _Dimitri._

The voice gave a small chuckle. _Then what are you waiting for?_

I turned back to my mom. She was looking at me and Dimitri like she was seeing us for the first time. I realized that, technically, she was, at least as a couple. "Okay," I whispered. "I'll keep your secret."

MY MOM DECIDED that I should stay at Dimitri's another night after dinner. She'd asked him to leave while we ate so that we could also talk on our own. It hadn't worked out very well. I just sat there, pushing my food around my plate, not really listening to her. She must have realized it – and that I was still extremely pissed off at her – because she finally stopped with the conversation and said, "When you get done, call Dimitri to come get you. I…I hope you can forgive me, Rose, eventually."

When we got to his apartment, the first thing I did was flop down on the couch. I hadn't had any sleep in two days and it was finally catching up with me.

Dimitri sat down next to where I was laying and took my head in his lap. We sat there in silence as he ran his fingers through my hair.

"How could she do this?" I gasped, feeling an aching in my chest. "What's going to happen now?"

He said nothing for such a long time that I thought he'd fallen asleep. I opened my eyes and looked up at him to find he was already looking at me. He sighed before saying, "My parents never married. Because of that, they were always off and on. There were times where my dad would go to work in the morning and…he'd just leave, without a word. That is, until he ran out of money.

"My mom never told us, but I think he was a drug addict. Sometimes he'd come home with a group of men and my mom would send all of us to our rooms. We weren't allowed to come out until she said it was okay. One day, I witnessed him hitting my mom. I was ten and it scared me, but my mom assured us she was fine and that it had never happened before.

"Except it had. I learned a few years ago that my dad had punched my mother in the stomach while she was pregnant with Karolina. He could've killed her before she'd even been born…"

Dimitri now had this faraway look on his face, like he was no longer in the room with me, but somewhere far away in his memory.

"When my mom finally broke down and told all of us that he'd been beating her repeatedly, I went berserk. She'd only told us because they'd 'officially' broken up, so he wasn't at the house. I went out in search of him, wanting desperately to put him in his place, but I couldn't find him anywhere. I was surprised when I came home and found him there.

"Karolina and Sonya each had one of his arms, trying to pull him away from my mother. He had her up against a wall, holding her by her throat. Before I could reach them, he threw one arm out, effectively throwing Sonya to the ground…"

I sat up, putting a hand on his shoulder. "What did you do?"

He looked down at his hands in his lap, shaking his head a little. "I tried to rip his throat out. I almost did. When I grabbed him, I threw him into the glass table we'd had and he fell through it. I remember the look on his face as if it'd happened yesterday. At first, he was shocked, which was to be expected, but then…then it was like he wasn't even my father anymore. There was nothing but pure fury in his eyes, like he really wanted to hurt me. So, I hurt him first.

"I punched him…a lot. I don't even remember how many times. My mother and Karolina tried to get me to stop, but I was just so furious. I wanted to kill him. It wasn't until I looked at Karolina – saw the look of fear on her face, the same expression she'd worn when my father was hurting my mother – that I stopped. I was fifteen. He left and I haven't seen him since," he concluded.

"Oh, Dimitri," I breathed, taking his face in my hands. "I'm so sorry."

He looked into my eyes and gave me a small smile. "I just wanted you to know that…I understand how you feel. I wish that I could go back and change everything so you wouldn't have to go through this, but…" He ran a hand through my hair, looking at it. I guessed he was gathering his thoughts. When he finally looked back up into my eyes, there was so much love there that it almost hurt. "But if I was able to get through that, you can get through this. I hope you'll pick a better solution than I had, though." There was a small smile on his lips, like he thought I might just solve my problem with violence. It _had _crossed my mind once or twice…

I returned the smile, but my heart wasn't really in it. "Yeah, but you're strong, Dimitri. So much stronger than I am."

Dimitri leaned forward to plant a kiss on my lips. When he pulled back, he whispered, "Oh, but you are so much stronger than you think, Roza."

I smiled, climbing into his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and held me there. I could feel every beat of his heart, every breath he took, and all my cares in the world melted away. I sighed, a smile on my lips. "Did you ever think it'd turn out like this? That we'd actually get permission to be together?"

"I always hoped it would," he murmured, his lips brushing the top of my head.

I looked up at him, mischievously. "It kind of takes the excitement out of it, though." The look on his face was so comical that I burst out laughing. "Don't worry, comrade. I'm just joking."

"Yeah?" he whispered, leaning down to kiss me. "You better be."

Our kiss morphed, becoming hot and deep. I suddenly felt an urgency to show him just how _much _I loved him. He, apparently, had the same idea. He picked me up, still kissing me, and walked back to his bedroom, laying me down on the bed. His lips trailed down my neck to my chest, sparks igniting with every touch.

I felt hot…so, _so _hot. I needed my clothes off, right then. I told him so and he gave in to my request. You'd think I wouldn't be bashful – considering how many times I'd been naked in front of him before – but I was surprised to feel a little nervous as he took me in. It was more like butterflies floating around in my stomach, but I didn't mind them. It made it feel that much more special.

We took our time exploring each other's bodies. A pure burst of happiness went through me as I thought that, now, we had all the time in the world.

Hot, passionate, totally engulfing lust is definitely fun when it comes to sex, but – although it _was _passionate – this was different. It was more sensual, deep. Although I was as close as I could be to him, I felt like I needed to be even closer. Every movement brought not only pleasure, but love. I realized that this was the first time we'd made love without it being _completely _forbidden.

When we collapsed next to each other on the bed, I was exhausted. I turned to him and smiled. "What would I do without you?"

He smiled, a full smile that reached his eyes. That was one of the best things about post-sex; Dimitri always opened up – completely – to me. In those moments, he didn't bother hiding anything from me. "You weren't so bad yourself."

I laughed. "So, let me get this straight: you won't take a compliment on your awesome fighting skills or anything like that, but when it comes to sex, it's completely okay? Typical man."

He slid over next to me and I turned so that we were spooning. He wrapped me in his arms, kissing me on the cheek. "If you didn't have me, I wouldn't have you. That's something I don't want to spend a lot of time thinking about, especially right now."

"I love you, Dimitri," I whispered, my eyelids closing involuntarily.

He snuggled even closer to me, which I didn't think was possible. "You are my _everything_, Roza. I love you. Now get some sleep."

And I did.

* * *

**Okay, so I think I'm finally getting back into the swing of things! :D Let me know what you thought in a review and I will try to update again as soon as possible.**

**Oh, and I don't think I say this nearly enough: thank you all so much. You're beyond awesome readers! **


	4. Settling

**Thanks for all the awesome reviews, you guys! You're all awesome :)**

* * *

The next week passed by without incident. I'd been staying at home, but my mom and I rarely talked. I couldn't imagine what it would be like when my dad got back home or how I'd be able to keep my mom's secret from him. Every time I tried to ask her why she did what she did or how long it had been going on, she would say that it's complicated and walk off.

Meanwhile, at the school, everyone was on edge, watching their backs. The police still hadn't said anything about Camille or Simon's deaths and rumors were running wild. Some said that they'd overdosed on pills, others that they'd contracted some freakish disease. I even heard that Camille and Simon had been seeing each other in secret and that Simon had killed himself after Camille's death with the same pills she'd used.

But the main reason why everyone was worried was because…well, because of what happened to me. They thought that a psycho was on the loose again, going after innocent students. They all knew that I'd fought David off in the movie theater when he attacked me and wanted me to teach them how to defend themselves. I'd even been offered money to do so, which was hard to pass up.

Instead of taking the jobs, though, I referred them all to the gym in Helena that Dimitri had brought me to. I would have just told them to see Dimitri if it weren't for the fact that no one knew he was the one who'd taught me.

So I was surprised when I saw a poster for a new club that had been put together at school. I'd been on my way to my locker, with Lissa at my side, but I pulled her to a stop as I began reading it.

"What are you – oh," Lissa said, her eyes on the poster I'd spotted. "That's actually a really good idea."

The poster was advertising a new self-defense club. "'Due to recent events'," I read aloud, "'we believe it is vital for students to know how to defend themselves. If you are interested in learning self-defense, we are having our first meeting in the gym on Friday after school.'"

Lissa stepped closer to the poster, examining it. "It doesn't say who started the club. Did you know about this?"

I shook my head. "How would I know?"

"Well, I know your mom wants you to start your training back up with Dim –" She stopped, looking around to make sure no one had heard. "Mr. Belikov. How's that going, anyway?"

"We haven't started them yet. We're picking it back up today, after school. But I…" I trailed off, my mind spinning. "You don't think… I mean, this is just a coincidence, right?"

Lissa gave me a small smile and shrugged. "I don't know, but I don't think so. I think he'd want to keep things a little more private." She wriggled her eyebrows at me, a huge smile on her face.

"Be careful or Eddie might hear you," I replied, sarcasm dripping from my voice. "I swear, if it we hadn't been friends for so long, I'd punch him right in the face. Have you seen how he's been treating me lately? You'd think I already _had _punched him."

She nodded, continuing to walk down the hall with me. It was lunch time, but we'd already finished eating. "I think it'd be hard _not _to see the way he's been treating you. We need to have a talk with him. Ms. Amos asked me about that this morning."

I stopped, grabbing her arm. "_What?!_"

"I know. It's bad," she whispered. Even though my mom had given me permission to be with Dimitri, no one else could know about it. I didn't know _exactly _what would happen if the news of our relationship got out, but I knew it wouldn't be pretty. "Maybe we should fill Eddie in on Ms. Amos, let him know that he could be sabotaging both you _and _Mr. Belikov."

I groaned. "I don't know. He might actually use her to break us up."

"Aw, Rose, you know he wouldn't do that. Eddie might not like it that you two are together, but he's your friend. He wouldn't purposely try to hurt you."

I wasn't so sure, but I didn't say anything.

The bell rang, signaling that fourth period was about to begin. We stopped by both of our lockers and began walking to class, but Mr. Walters – the choir director – stopped us before we could get there.

"Hello, ladies," he began, falling into step with us. "I just wanted to remind you that practice starts today, after school."

Damn. I'd completely forgotten about my punishment for flushing Ms. Amos's phone down the toilet. The choir was having a recital in a couple of months and – though they were originally going to make me a part of the choir – I had to work the lights and tech stuff for it. You wouldn't think you had to go to practice to work a bunch of buttons.

"Um, I actually have a training session after school, Mr. Walters. Is there any way I could reschedule?" I asked.

I thought that he would automatically say no and make me go anyway, but he actually thought about it. Maybe he was starting to realize just how vital it was for students around here to know self-defense. "You're the fifth person to ask me about that. This self-defense club is really getting in the way of things. I'm going to move the practice. I'll make an announcement later over the intercom, so make sure you're listening for it. Have a good day, ladies."

He did make an announcement in seventh period, but I didn't like it. Mr. Walters decided to move the practice from right after school to 5:30, giving those who were taking self-defense the time to shower before choir practice. The problem with that, though, was that Dimitri and I were going to Helena for practice, which was an hour away. We'd only be able to get thirty minutes of practice in before we had to get back home.

When the last bell of the day rang, I quickly gathered my things and headed for Dimitri's office, hoping we could work something else out. Lissa, who was standing at her locker with Christian, stopped me before I could, though.

"Where's the fire?" she laughed.

I gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I've got to get to Mr. Belikov's office." There were too many ears around, so I had to be careful about what I said.

Before I could continue walking, though, Christian spoke. "He won't be there. He'll be in the gym."

"What?" I asked. I was confused for a moment before everything clicked into place. I groaned. "Ugh! Why didn't he tell me?"

Christian shrugged. "Probably because he hasn't had a lot of time to. You know he's been seeing people left and right over Camille and Simon. He even saw that new kid – what's his name? Nick?"

This time both Lissa and I were confused. "Why did Nick go to see him? He just got here; he didn't know either Camille or Simon."

"Maybe he did," Mia interjected, walking up to us with Eddie in tow. "We really don't know that much about him. What if he and Camille had something going on in secret?"

"You guys seriously don't know why he would see…_Mr. Belikov _about Camille?" Eddie sneered when he said Dimitri's name. "I mean, I understand why Rose might not, since she was probably too busy ogling at Mr. Belikov, but I thought – "

I scoffed. "You know what, Eddie? That act is really getting old."

"Older than your boyfriend?"

I felt my mouth fall open on its own accord. He hadn't even bothered to keep his voice down; anyone could've overheard. A quick scope of our surroundings told me that no one had, but I still couldn't believe he'd done it. "You really need to check your attitude. We're together, okay? Either get over it or leave."

He shrugged, grabbing Mia's hand. "Fine. We're out of here."

He turned to go, but Mia pulled her hand back. He fixed on her with narrowed eyes. "No, _you're _out of here, Eddie. Just because we're dating doesn't mean that I have to agree with you on everything. And Rose is right, you're taking this too far. I'm starting to think _you _have a thing for Rose."

Eddie ground his teeth, his jaw tightening in anger. "Well. If that's the way you see it, maybe we should take a break."

"Are you serious?!" Mia blanched. "Who the hell are you? You're obviously not my Eddie right now."

"Whatever," he mumbled before turning around and leaving.

Mia stood there, watching him go. It was obvious that he'd just broken her heart, but – by the look on her face – she refused to let it get to her. If someone were to walk up right now, they'd probably think she was just angry or embarrassed, her cheeks were so red.

The rest of us had no idea what to do. We looked in between each other, but Mia was oblivious, still staring at where Eddie had been. I had no idea whether or not they'd actually broken up, but I felt horrible and would have even if they were still together. The whole reason they were fighting was because of me. I gingerly reached out toward Mia. "Mia, I – "

She looked over to me as if she'd forgotten I was there. When she saw me reaching for her, she stepped out of my reach. "No, Rose. It doesn't matter. He's being an asshole right now."

I was surprised that she'd actually called him an asshole – Mia had said nothing but good things about Eddie in the past – but it didn't deter me from saying what I needed to say. "That may be, but I'm still sorry. I…" I trailed off, not really knowing how to say what I was feeling. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Other than break up with your boyfriend?" She looked around as she said it, still worried that someone would hear even though she'd just – technically – been dumped. I realized then that Mia really was my friend and not just someone who hung out with me because she was friends with my friends. "No. And I'm not saying that you should break up with him. We just have to wait until he…I don't know, gets used to it."

The intercom came on, preventing any of us from continuing the conversation. "The first meeting for the self-defense club is beginning in five minutes. If you wish to join, please proceed to the gym now."

"YOU'LL NEED TO get this signed before we can move on," Dimitri was saying to the group that had assembled in the gym. It had been him and Coach that started this club. He was talking about the permission slips that were being passed around. "In this class, you might get hurt. We've arranged for a nurse to be here during practice so you can be treated if you do get hurt, so don't worry. The worst you'll get in this class are a couple of bruises.

"That being said, we still need to have your parents explicit permission for you to be in this class. This form will explain everything to them about this class so that they can make an informed decision about you attending it. Once you get it signed, we'll be able to go over the more difficult techniques. For today, we'll teach you some simple steps that are designed to get you away from your attacker."

Lissa, Christian, Mia, and even Eddie had decided to take the class. Eddie was on the other side of the crowd than the rest of us and he still looked pretty pissed off. I vaguely thought that Eddie was only taking this class so he could learn how to fight Dimitri, but I shrugged it off. I'd had way more training than Eddie and even I couldn't take Dimitri down. Well, most of the time, at least.

I smiled, tuning everything out, as I thought back to the one time I'd taken down Dimitri. We'd been practicing at the gym in Helena. At the time, we'd been in a fight. I'd seen him with Ms. Amos outside of the movie theater and – foolishly – thought that he was cheating on me. We'd argued and I wound up slapping him. I eventually found out that she'd been pursuing him – not the other way around – after I'd "staked" him during practice. We'd both been surprised at my moves since my body had just taken over without me thinking.

Lissa elbowed me, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I'd have thought you'd be volunteering."

I was momentarily confused, until I looked around and saw that half the crowd had their hands raised. I raised my hand as well, not really knowing why. Dimitri was scanning the crowd, picking out a couple of different people.

I turned to Lissa. "What's this for?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. He just said he needed a couple of different volunteers. Whatever it is, you'll probably be perfect for it."

"And Rose," Dimitri called out. His face was perfectly composed, but I could see the pride in his eyes. He _wanted _me to be one of his volunteers.

I stepped out of the crowd and went to stand by the other three people he'd called on, one of them being Jesse Zeklos. I'd once had a crush on Jesse, but that had gone as soon as I saw him swapping spit with Camille. I didn't want her sloppy seconds. As soon as Jesse found out about Camille on Monday, it was as if he were a totally different person. He'd gone inward, not really talking to anyone, which was definitely not like him. At that moment, Jesse had a look of determination on his face, like he was avenging Camille's death.

The other two volunteers were also guys, but they were underclassmen, so I didn't really know them. As I stood in line with them, I saw that the crowd had mixed reactions about me being out there with the guys. Some looked surprised because I was a girl, but others – who knew more about my incidents with Rebecka and David in the past – looked excited, presumably to see me in action.

"The first thing I want to do," Dimitri began, "is show you what self-defense can teach you. Rose, here, has taken some classes. Some of you may have heard about Rose's accomplishments. Jesse, would you mind being the attacker for this scenario?"

Jesse nodded and turned toward me. "Don't worry, Jesse," I teased. "I'll _try _not to hurt you."

The crowd – now on my left – snickered as I got into a guard stance. Dimitri came to stand on my right, addressing the class. "Jesse is going to come at Rose and try to hit her. Rose will take the defensive, not striking back. This is the technique we'll work on today."

With a nod from Dimitri, Jesse came at me. Normally, I would try to hit him since he had so many openings, but – since I was supposed to be on the defensive – I had to try and keep him from hitting me. By the way Jesse was coming at me, I could tell that he was going to try and punch me with his left hand.

I quickly went through a few techniques Dimitri had taught me, deciding I would go for the shock value. That's probably what Dimitri would want me to do so that the class could see just how bad ass self-defense could be. I weaved back as Jesse's fist came at my face, making him miss. As his fist went by my face, I reached up and grabbed it. I stuck out my left foot, sliding to the right as I did. With as much force as I could muster, I swung Jesse around. As he tripped over my foot, I grabbed the top of his arm with my other hand and pushed, causing Jesse to do a somersault in the air. He landed flat on his back.

It had only taken ten seconds to do the whole thing, but the class was roaring with applause. I swept my hand back and bowed.

"Very well done, Rose. Good job," Dimitri said before turning to the crowd. "Okay, let's get started."

"I BET YOU'RE wishing you hadn't flushed Ms. Amos's phone down the toilet now, eh, Rose?" Christian snickered as he walked passed me to get to his spot in the choir.

I rolled my eyes. "Hey, I'm being forced to push buttons. Who's forcing you to go out there and embarrass yourself?"

He just laughed before taking his place next to Lissa on the bleachers they'd set up. I'd always found Mr. Walters's set up to be weird. He'd put up this small set of bleachers on the stage in the auditorium for the choir to stand on. Why not just let them stand on the stage?

We'd been in practice for the past hour. We were supposed to be out by now, but Mr. Walters wanted us to stay later for our first practice. I'd been bored the entire time, but we'd finally gotten to the only part that was interesting to me: Lissa's solo.

She was singing "Only Hope", which turned out to be a favorite among the choir scene. When the recital actually went down, Lissa would be standing on the stage in front of everyone on the bleachers. She was so excited that she'd already picked out the dress she was going to wear: a long, white silk halter with red rhinestones on the bottom. It looked really good on her – she'd tried it on and gotten my opinion on it before she bought it – but I thought it would've looked better with blue or green rhinestones.

Lissa had always sung like an angel, but she would look it during the recital. She'd always joked that I should be the one in choir, that _I _actually had the good voice, but I always shot her down. I wasn't really into singing.

I was barely paying attention to the buttons that operated the lights when the bridge came up. Not only did I love hearing Liss sing, but the music to the song was absolutely beautiful and, when they came together, it was like a masterpiece. Unfortunately, someone came into the auditorium during the bridge and the sound of the doors closing drowned out Lissa's singing. I couldn't see who it was because I was backstage.

When the song was over, I came out from behind the stage without waiting for Mr. Walters to dismiss us. I was tired from self-defense – Dimitri had made me his assistant during today's practice – and was ready to get home. However, as I made my way to the stage's stairs, I was surprised to see that Dimitri was the one who had come in, with Nick Mansle trailing along.

It was strange, but I'd always felt that Dimitri and I had some sort of connection to each other that no one else would ever understand. There was no way he could've possibly known that I'd come out from behind the stage without looking up, and yet he did, giving me a small smile of acknowledgement as he approached Mr. Walters. I watched them speak for a moment, noticing that they were all glancing between each other and me. After another minute of speaking, they all began coming toward me, meeting me at the bottom of the stage's steps.

"Rose," Mr. Walters began, "I assume you've met Nick." He waited for me to nod before continuing. "Mr. Belikov has suggested that Nick join some extra-curricular activities so he can get to know more of the students, make friends. He's interested in helping you with your job working the lights and sounds for the recital.

"I know this is last minute, but you would you mind staying just a little longer to teach him the basics? I'd like for him to know – somewhat – what he'll be doing the next time we practice."

Although my body was screaming at me to go home and get some rest, I thought about it for a moment, catching Dimitri's gaze as I did. Again, I felt that impossible connection we had as I realized that he, too, was asking me to do this – in his own way. "I guess a little while longer won't hurt. Sure."

Both of my instructors beamed at me, but I was really only paying attention to one of them. I was immensely glad to see the look of pride on Dimitri's face. He quickly covered it, though, as Mr. Walters turned back to him to talk a little more. "I suppose I'll leave them to it, then. Are you heading out as well, Mr. Belikov?"

Dimitri shook his head, causing a few strands of hair to break loose from the tie at the nape of his neck. I wanted to reach out and brush them out of his face, but there was absolutely no way I could do that here. "I actually have some more work to do before I leave. I can come back to check on Miss Hathaway and Mr. Mansle, if you'd like."

Mr. Walters agreed that that sounded like a good plan before he and Dimitri started toward the door. Before they left, though, Dimitri looked back at me and nodded toward the door. I gave him a brisk nod, small enough that Nick wouldn't notice, but large enough that Dimitri would know what I meant. His only answer was to turn the ends of his lips up in a small grin.

"So," I said, gesturing toward the door at the side of the stage that led to the back, "there's not really much to learn; it's pretty simple. I'm actually surprised Mr. Walters would need anyone else for this job. Tonight we'll just go over what each button does so you'll know what to do the next time we practice."

Nick shrugged. "Alright. It's whatever you want to do."

We'd made it backstage to all of the equipment and I now glanced back toward the stage. "Uh, you know what? Mr. Walters gave me a blueprint of all of the equipment, just in case I forgot which buttons did what. Let me get it and you can have it. I've pretty much got them all memorized."

Again, Nick shrugged. I was beginning to wonder if that was a normal answer for him.

I quickly made my way off of the stage and down the aisle in the auditorium. I could see Dimitri's back through the small window in the door, his muscles pronounced even when clothed. A small shiver went through me as I thought about how it felt to run my fingers down his strong, lean form.

I opened the other door so that I wouldn't run into him. He immediately turned to me and took my hands in his. "I really hope you don't mind staying a little longer. Nick's been having…a rough time since Camille's death. I thought this would be a fast way for him to make friends."

"I don't mind," I replied, giving him a smile. "Nick seems like he could use all the friends he can get right now."

Dimitri smiled and, for a moment, his entire face lit up. I was half-tempted to tell him that he needed to stop, that I could barely contain myself when he looked so much like an angel, but I stopped myself, not wanting any passers-by to overhear. As he looked at me, though, that smile disappeared, and a grim look flashed across his face.

"That's not the only reason I wanted to talk to you, though," he murmured, letting go of my hands. "Can you see if Nick will walk you home?" I started to ask why, but Dimitri stopped me, already knowing by the look on my face that I was about to protest. "I have something that came up. It's…complicated, but I promise I'll explain everything to you as soon as I can."

"Is everything okay? You aren't in some kind of trouble, are you?"

His face turned soft and reassuring. "No, I'm perfectly alright. I just have to take care of this and I wanted to make sure that you're going to be safe on the way home tonight."

I thought about it for a moment, still not entirely convinced that everything was okay, but I lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. "Well…alright. I guess. Yeah, I'll be okay. If Nick can't walk me home, I'll…I don't know, call my mom or something."

"Promise," he whispered, worry all over his face. "Promise that if you can't get him to walk you home, you'll call someone to come get you."

The fact that he was worried made me start to worry, but I decided to play it off, try to make him feel at ease. "Hey, comrade, I'll be fine. I can kick ass with the best of them now."

It still didn't calm him, though, and I could tell he still wanted that promise out of me. Just before I opened my mouth to indeed promise, he spoke again, concern straining his voice. "It's just…the last time I let you go out on your own…"

He didn't need to continue; I knew exactly what he was talking about. A couple of months ago, we'd met in the local coffee shop – the same one Camille had collapsed in – to talk about our sessions, but we'd both known that we were really going to talk about us. Surprisingly, that conversation had never come up and we instead just relaxed and enjoyed spending some time together. That happiness had been short-lived, though. He'd offered to give me a ride home, but I refused, even though I was extremely tired. That foolishness had gotten me beat nearly to death in an alley. I'd forgotten most of the details of the attack after it happened, but had eventually – with Dimitri's help – been able to regain most of the memories. Now, looking at his face, I almost wished I hadn't.

"I absolutely promise that if Nick won't walk me home, I'll get my mom to come get me, no matter how mad I am at her," I assured him, giving him a hard look of determination.

He smiled, pacified. "Good. I have to get going now, but I'll call you if I get done early enough. If not, I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

I agreed that he would see me and we said our goodbyes. I wanted desperately to reach out and take his face in my hands, giving him a hard kiss. But we were in the middle of the school hallway and, really, who knew what eyes were watching?

Once back in the auditorium, I found that Nick had come to sit at the front of the stage, his legs swinging back and forth in front of it. I gave him a smile that I hoped looked embarrassed. "I thought the papers were in my locker, but they weren't. Let me see if I have them in my backpack."

I already knew, though, that the papers were there. I hadn't been lying about Mr. Walters giving them to me. I dug them out of my backpack and handed them to Nick, explaining what all the labels meant as we walked backstage to the equipment. I ran through things on autopilot, my mind somewhere else as I tried to figure out what Dimitri might be doing. A small – _extremely _small – part of me wondered if there was something he was intentionally keeping from me, but I shoved those feelings and thoughts away. I trusted Dimitri completely.

It didn't take long for Nick and I to run through the buttons and, before I knew it, we were finished. Instead of asking him to walk me home – I didn't want to imply that I was interested in him – I asked how he was getting home and, once he'd established that he was walking, asked him if he'd like company. He agreed.

As soon as we were outside, though, it appeared someone had other plans for Nick. A car parked in front of the school honked as soon as we opened the doors. Its headlights were on, so I couldn't see anything – not the type of car or who the driver might have been. I didn't have to wait long to find out…unfortunately.

"Well, if it isn't the _young _and beautiful Rose Hathaway…" Adrian sneered, coming around the front of his Jeep. I couldn't help but feel as if "young" was actually being used as an insult instead of a compliment.

I rolled my eyes, turning to Nick. "Please tell me you don't know him."

His response was a sly smile and – surprise! – a shrug of his shoulders. "We met a couple of days ago. I assume you two know each other?"

Boy, did we ever. Adrian and I had done some serious making out on a dance floor once upon a time. If it hadn't been for Lissa, there may have been more going on later that night. Dimitri and I had called it quits for a while and I'd sought solace in Adrian's arms – which, I now knew, had been a big mistake. He'd taken quite an interest in me and somehow figured out that Dimitri and I were together. He'd bad-mouthed Dimitri ever since and the last time I saw him, I'd almost knocked his lights out.

Adrian walked over to us, wrapping an arm around each of us. "C'mon, now, Rose. Don't be like that. Everything that went down before is in the past…" A smirk appeared on his face, one that he often wore. "Unless it's not…"

I narrowed my eyes at him in a silent warning. I couldn't directly tell him not to say another word because Nick was right there, but he got the message. He grinned this time, showing teeth that were perfectly straight and white. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Whatever," I hissed, shrugging his arm off of me. I turned back to Nick. "It was nice getting to know you a little, Nick, but I'm just gonna head home. Text me if you need any help with the blueprints." I'd given Nick my cell number so that he could get a hold of me – either for help with choir or just to hang out sometime. I was determined to do what Dimitri asked and help Nick make friends.

Nick looked like he wanted to say something, but Adrian cut him off. "Rose…" He stopped, his becoming somber as he tried to gather his thoughts. "Seriously, I'm sorry about what happened before. I was…well, I was completely out of line. I know that that doesn't really make up for me being an ass, but it's all I can offer you right now."

I didn't want to accept his apology. In fact, I wanted to straight-up turn him down, stomp on his foot, and walk away without another word. But something in his expression and his voice compelled me to listen to him, to hear what he had to say. My arms dropped from my hips, hanging at my sides, and I kept looking at him, expectantly.

"What? You want more?" He smiled before sighing. In that moment, right then, I understood that Adrian really had liked me and had wanted something more to happen between us. No, it wasn't like he was in love with me or anything, but he'd truly been interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with me, not just a physical one. "I don't know… You _did _try to beat me up."

"_Try_?" I laughed. "I think I may have hit you _too _hard; you can't even remember how awesome my skills were."

It was strange, but just like that, Adrian and I had reconciled. I felt my muscles relax, discovering that I had been tense without even realizing it. Looking at Adrian's body language, I could tell that he was now at ease as well. In the back of my mind, I realized that Adrian and I had been able to communicate in almost, _almost _the same way Dimitri and I did. We could both read each other well and could convey things without really saying them. Maybe in another life – one where I'd decided to go on the school trip to Italy with Lissa last summer instead of to the Jersey Shore(where I'd met Dimitri, a.k.a. "Anthony") with my parents – Adrian would be the one I was dating instead of Dimitri. Sure, there was an age difference between us as well, but it was nowhere near the age difference between Dimitri and I. People would be more likely to accept me having a relationship with Adrian that my relationship with Dimitri.

Automatically, I spurned those thoughts away. Just the idea of being with anyone else but Dimitri had a cold, sick feeling churning in my stomach. No way could I ever love anyone the way I loved Dimitri.

"So," Adrian began, "you want to be boring and go back home, or do you wanna go out and party with us?"

Nick laughed. "_Us_?"

Adrian looked over at him, surprised. "Well, yeah, short stuff." Nick was about two inches shorter than Adrian, not nearly short enough to be called that. In fact, I was probably the one he should be calling short stuff. "You _are _up for a little party, aren't you?"

Nick and I looked at each and – for the first time – I saw him actually smile. Sure, I'd seen him smile before, but it had always been sleek-looking, like someone who didn't want to get too close to anyone else. But this time, there was genuine happiness on his face, and it warmed my spirits. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. I certainly wouldn't mind getting to know Rose here a little more."

Adrian laughed, shaking his head as he put his arms back around Nick and I. "I wouldn't put too much effort into that." Nick gave him a short, puzzled look, but shook it off, his eyes finding mine again. _Oh, boy, _I thought, but I didn't have time to think anything else because Adrian was continuing. "So, what do you say, young one? You wanna go to a party?"

All the testosterone around me was really making me think. I didn't want either of them to think that I was interested in a romantic relationship, but I was mostly worried about Nick. Adrian already knew I was unavailable. Dimitri also wouldn't like me going out to a party, especially after Camille and Simon's deaths. But…there was a little – okay, _big _part of me that wanted to just relax and not worry so much for a little while.

I glanced between Nick and Adrian one last time before saying, "What harm could it do?"

Little did I know…

* * *

** Again, sorry it's been taking me so long to update. Like I said, I've been dealing with the migraines, which haven't really let up. But I'm working as hard as I can every minute that I can and will hopefully be able to regularly update. Thanks so much for being patient with me! Don't forget to tell me what you thought of this chapter in a review :)**


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